Help! I Had a Baby and Now My Hair is Falling Out!

If you have ever had long hair I am sure you noticed how some of your hair would fall out anytime you washed or brushed it. This is a natural process, but you may have noticed that during pregnancy your hair all but stopped falling out! You may have fell in love with your new found thick and luscious hair.

You may have also noticed that just weeks after having your baby, your hair started falling out in clumps. You may have been thinking that you were going bald, I assure you this is not the case and it will end.

Why is my hair falling out?

In the normal cycle of hair growth some hair is lost everyday. During pregnancy, estrogen levels increase dramatically and this causes your hair to remain in the “resting” phase (your hair grows from growing, to resting, then it falls out), so instead of falling out, it stays. After you have your baby, your estrogen levels drop and all the hair that has been in the “resting” phase, starts to fall out. This usually starts with in the first couple of weeks postpartum and usually stops between 6 and 12 months later. If you have recently given birth and your hair seems to be falling out, it is not because you are deficient in any nutrients, it is just a hormonal change.

Is there anything I can do?

There is nothing you can do to keep your hair from falling out as it is a natural process, but you can do somethings to help make it a little better and easier for you.

Get a haircut. Just cutting your hair a little shorter can make it seem like your hair isn’t falling out as much. Not only that, a stylist will know how to style your hair if you feel like it is looking a little thin and they can give you the best advice on how to handle your hair falling out.

Take good care of your hair. It goes without saying, but if you take better care of your hair, you won’t have damaged hair falling out. This means treating damaged hair and trying to stay away from heat that damages your hair.

Take good care of your body. Eating healthy and taking your prenatal vitamin will also help keep the growing hairs on your head healthy and may help keep your hair thick and full.

Use scrunchies to pull hair back. Rubber bands can damage hair even more, so use only soft scrunchies to pull your hair back. Also, don’t put your hair into tight styles as this will pull on the hair more and make it fall out faster.

If you think your hair loss is excessive, talk to your doctor. Excessing hair loss can be a sign of postpartum thyroiditis, which your doctor will need to evaluate.

Not every woman notices this dramatic hair loss, but for those who do it can be frustrating and feel like you are going bald. Rest assured, you are not going bald and it will all be over by the time your baby is a year old.

Did you notice your hair falling out after you had your baby? How did you deal with it?